receptions will draw second-time guests plus all of those who have already turned into new regular attenders .
Getting your newcomers to a reception is key to creating early relationships . Not only does the reception give you the chance to meet your new people , it also gives them the chance to meet you and other staff members at your church . This is a critically important aspect of creating stickiness . When new attenders have had an opportunity to talk with the pastor and other leaders personally , they will feel more valued and more engaged with the church as a result . Plus , the newcomer reception allows those new to your church to meet and mingle with others who are at a similar point on the journey toward becoming fully engaged members . When your second-time guests and new regular attenders leave a well-facilitated newcomer reception , they will have made a couple of new friends and already be planning to join in on another sticky situation soon .
God created people to live in relationship , but in the process of assimilation , we are not encouraging our second-timers to make friends merely for the sake of having more friends . Rather , we understand that connecting them with people in the church is a biblical command . We are integrating them into the body so that they can continue to grow toward knowing Jesus Christ .
Excerpted from Fusion by Nelson Searcy . Used by permission of Baker Books , a division of Baker Publishing Group ( http :// www . bakerpublishinggroup . com ). Copyright 2020 .
Nelson Searcy is the founding and lead pastor of The Journey Church . Started in 2002 in New York City , this groundbreaking church sees the majority of its growth coming from new believers and currently meets in locations in Manhattan , Queens , and Staten Island , as well as additional locations in San Francisco and Boca Raton . Nelson is the recipient of the prestigious 2013 Donald A . McGavran Award for Outstanding Leadership in Great Commission Research . He is the author of more than seventy-five church growth resources and twelve books , including The Generosity Ladder , Maximize , Connect , and Ignite . Nelson is also an experienced church planter , coach , and church-growth strategist . Before founding The Journey , he served as the director of the Purpose Driven Community at Saddleback Church . He is also the founder of ChurchLeaderInsights . com and the Renegade Pastors Network .